


Lost/Found

by Choke-a-Bro (Vanya_Deyja)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, M/M, Multi, Pre-Slash, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22860103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanya_Deyja/pseuds/Choke-a-Bro
Summary: Insomnia fell to a curse years ago. Lucis doesn't have much of a government anymore. It doesn't matter though, for his part Noctis just wants to be a strong hunter.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 13
Kudos: 91





	Lost/Found

**Author's Note:**

> If you write FFXV and you don't do one Anastasia AU are you even trying bro?

A lot of people were displaced when disaster befell Insomnia. The citizenry evacuated in under two hours, most of them with nothing but the clothes on their back, and since then the city has been sealed by magic. This huge city, full of skyscrapers, frozen in time because there aren’t any royals left to lower the barrier and open the gates.

Noct was one of those displaced children. Wiz guessed from his size he was about three, his grandson’s age, when he came wandering out of the woods covered in someone else’s blood. Wiz called up the hunters. They found a car but the daemons didn’t leave enough to identify the four bodies.

With King Regis dead and the Kingdom in chaos there wasn’t exactly anyone Wiz could call upon to help. The Kingsglaive were scattered, the Crownsguard driven underground… to this day there’s only the roughest semblance of governance across the Kingdom. At the time no hunter or farmer had the space to take in another tyke so Wiz, his daughter and his grandson decided they’d become a family of four.

Wiz’s daughter died when Noct was about twelve. She was the sweetest woman in the whole world, loved him like her own, and her death drove Prompto to a very dark place. Prompto lost a lot of weight but between Noct and the chocobos he found his spark again, slowly but surely.

At nineteen Noct is a country boy in his heart. He likes fishing, chocobo racing, hunting… He wants to formally take up hunting but Dave, who’s the expert on these things, says he’s not ready for a tag yet so when Noct isn’t roaming the countryside he helps Prompto and Wiz around the outpost.

Noct comes home dirty and bloody one Sunday morning with the sunrise. There are people staying in the caravan, Noct can tell, which is good because usually Sunday is their quietest day at the outpost. Prompto is already up, feeding the chocobos, and Noct sneaks up on him to drag him into a rough hug. Prompto shrieks, dropping the feed, and immediately groans—

“Noct! You’re filthy!” 

“Now you’re filthy,” Noct grins widely, trying to wipe a fleck of feed off Prompto’s check and succeeding in dragging a smear of monster blood across it instead. Noct laughs harder.

“I’m going to have to shower now!” Prompto shoves him, but Noct knows he’s trying not to laugh.

“We’ll share, you can tell me what I missed yesterday.” Noct decides.

“I have to feed—”

“I think they’re fed,” Noct laughs, watching the chocobos bustle them out of the way as they go to town on the fallen pile of feed.

“Ugh, you’re awful,” Prompto laughs, dragging him inside the house.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noct snorts, kicking off his boots in the foyer and tugging his ruined shirt over his head as they tiptoe down the hall. Wiz is still asleep, Noct can hear him snoring loudly in the master, and Prompto picks Noct’s shirt up off the floor to put it in the washing basket as they enter the bathroom. “There’s no point Prom, that shirt’s gone.”

“Awful, awful,” Prompto repeats in a whisper as he shuts the door.

Prompto and Noct have been sharing the water in the tank since they were toddlers. Very little about Prompto’s body embarrasses Noct anymore. He knows every freckle and he would never laugh at a single one.

The bathroom hasn’t been renovated or repainted in about thirty years. The water is either a little too hot or a little too cold, no in between, and the pipes moan loudly as they drag the water through the heater from the tank.

“There’s these real swish guys staying in the caravan,” Prompto whispers as they get in the shower, “they’ve got a fancy car.”

“Hunters?” Noct perks.

“Maybe, I dunno, they’re well travelled if nothing else.” Prompto shrugs. “They came all the way from Caem.”

Noct whistles, reaching around Prompto in the cramped space to find the body wash. It’s awkward trying to get all the monster guts off in the cubicle but Noct is used to it. He contorts, Prompto washing his hair around him, both of them fighting for the spray to rinse. Prompto does his back, is mystified about all the grass stains on his shoulder blades, and shakes his head.

They towel off in a comfortable silence, Noct ruffling Prompto’s wet hair, and Noct sniffs like a cat. He can always smell when bacon’s on the stove. He’s like an animal. You could cook bacon in a dessert and as long as the wind was in his favour Noct would track you down.

“Breakfast,” Prompto chirps, pulling Noct into the hall and across into their childhood bedroom.

Wiz doesn’t want to disturb his daughter’s room. It’s become a little shrine to her and that seems to give them all comfort. So Prompto and Noct squeeze into the room they’ve shared since they were in pullups. Prompto passes Noct a shirt, Noct finds them clean socks under the bed, and Prompto squeezes into his skinniest jeans.

“Who’re you trying to impress?” Noct grunts, tugging him over by his waist.

“The guys in the caravan are really, really, hot.” Prompto whispers. “Don’t tell Grandpa.”

“Seriously?” Noct grins, suddenly reassessing his look. “Should I fix my hair?”

“Brush your teeth, you smell like you threw up.”

“I got hurled by a red titan twenty feet into the long grass!” Noct defends.

In the kitchen Wiz seems to have heard them regardless of their intentions because he’s set up a plate for Noct and is frying eggs for three.

“Morning kiddos,” he greets.

“Morning Gramps,” Noct greets as he collapses into his seat. “Pass the grease?”

Wiz tosses him the butter from the counter and Noct uncaps the tub to smear it all over his toast.

“Hunting go good, Noct?” Wiz asks.

“Yeah we did real good,” Noct assures. “I’m a little sore but Tally Withers broke her arm so I’m not complaining.”

“Even with a potion that’ll put her out of the game for a few days.”

“Nah, give her two days, Tally’s tough.” Noct tuts knowingly as he stuffs a mouthful of bread into his gob.

* * *

After breakfast Noct brushes his teeth. It’s still early and no one’s pulled up to the outpost yet but Wiz is behind the store counter, Haylie is getting the chocobos sorted for rentals, and Arthur is starting to prep the food in the back store kitchen. Prompto and Noct sneak away from the natural rhythm of it all to approach the caravan.

“I don’t know if they’re up,” Prompto whispers.

“I’ll knock,” Noct decides.

“Dude, let em sleep.”

“We’ll offer them food, everyone likes food,” Noct insists. He’s always keen to talk to travellers, strangers, or hunters. He likes adventure and two attractive men? How could Noct say no. He and Prompto have been on a crusade to get laid for literally four years.

Prompto doesn’t seem to like Noct’s plan but Noct raps his knuckles on the caravan door regardless and steps back.

“One second!” Someone inside the caravan calls.

A moment later the door of the caravan squeaks open and Prompto wasn’t lying. These guys are handsome. That said the man takes one look at Noct and seems to fall on nothing. Prompto gasps as he slips off the step between the caravan and the grass and falls on his ass. Noct surges forward on instinct.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, of course, my apologies,” the man flusters, letting Noct help him back up. Noct pats him down as he straightens his glasses. “That was terribly graceless of me, apologies.”

“Morning legs,” Noct laughs.

“Ignis, this is the troublesome asshole I was telling you about,” Prompto introduces.

“Noct,” Ignis repeats with this kind of soberness as he fixes Noct with the single most intense stare Noct has ever borne up under. Noct laughs weakly. “Pleasure to meet you,” Ignis assures, offering his hand to shake.

Noct has the hand in his, Ignis shaking their joint fingers very firmly, when Ignis calls back over his shoulder.

“Gladio!”

“Yeah?” A gruff grunt comes from inside the caravan.

“ _Gladio!_ ” Ignis stresses without explanation, voice almost cracking.

“Yeah, yeah, fucking—” Gladio, who is much bigger, comes sauntering out of the caravan.

He sets eyes on Noct.

He slips down the step with an almighty thud, his thick ass hitting the grass.

“That damn stair!” Prompto swears.

“ _Fucking_ —” Gladio seems to be gathering himself, cursing softly, and Prompto hurries to help him up.

Ignis is still holding Noct’s hand and as Noct realises this he takes it back as politely as possible. Ignis doesn’t seem to want to let go but Noct gives a little yank and that only draws Ignis’ attention back to him.

“Gladio, this is Noct.” Ignis gestures quickly between them.

“Figures,” Gladio laughs dryly, rubbing the small of his back as he steadies himself on his feet with Prompto’s help. “Prompto said you were adopted? In the fall of Insomnia?”

“Something like that.” Noct shrugs.

“You would’ve been very small,” Ignis remarks, “and no one was with you?”

“We found a car, down the road, but daemons had gone to town on it.” Noct recounts patiently. He’s used to this line of questioning. “People panicked when the city fell, I guess, so they were driving at night. Kind of sad, definitely, but I don’t remember anything _so_ ….”

“Right, of course,” Ignis nods, straightening his blazer. “Did you boys need something? It’s still early.”

“We wondered if you wanted breakfast,” Prompto chirps, “on the house.”

Ignis and Gladio exchange a very meaningful glance.

“Well,” Gladio laughs, “if you promise to eat with us, sounds good.”

Noct has this funny feeling. He knows weird when he sees it. These guys aren’t giving him bad vibes, sure, but they’re obviously acting strange. Noct starts to stumble something about having work to do around the outpost but Prompto, always brain dead when it comes to sensing danger, is already bouncing to agree. Why wouldn’t he? Ignis and Gladio are gorgeous for total freaks.

They sit at one of the little plastic tables near the gate and Noct makes sure to be the one to get the food because he’s still deciding if these guys are bad news or not. Prompto is happily chatting to them when he returns but Ignis and Gladio centre on Noct almost immediately and seem very interested in his origin story. Honestly there’s not that much to tell so Noct doesn’t see any reason to avoid their questions but it’s a little weird.

“Noct, did Wiz name you that?” Ignis supposes.

“No, that’s what I told them my name was,” Noct admits, “couldn’t get much else out of me apparently but I said my name was Noct so here we are.”

“Sounds like its short for something,” Gladio posits.

“Yeah I’ve always thought that,” Prompto admits. “Sounds more like a nickname to me. But Noct was like three so I’m not surprised he didn’t give us all the most reliable details.”

“I like it,” Noct shrugs.

“I like it too,” Ignis nods, still oddly sombre.

“You work at the outpost Noct? Like Prompto?” Gladio presses.

“I hunt,” Noct clarifies, “and I do errands for the farm, sure, but most days I’m hunting.”

“We hunt,” Gladio reveals. “You should show us around the region. Lot more tipster cash if you’re only splitting it between three people.”

“I mean…” Noct knows that’s true but…

“You don’t hunt solo, surely?” Ignis asks.

“No, I hunt with a crew,” Noct assures. “They showed me the ropes. Real solid guys. Dave’s been hunting around here for literal years. Takes it serious.”

“Still,” Gladio insists, “I hear there’s big money on that Dead Eye behemoth. We could use cash like that but it’d be better with a local making sure we don’t wander into a ravine.”

Noct considers it. He’s not sure why he’s hesitating he just feels like these guys are not saying something. They’re almost too interested somehow. Then again maybe they’re flirting? Is this what flirting feels like? Noct has no idea.

“I—Sure,” Noct relents eventually. “Why not?”

Dave might take Noct more seriously if he can take Dead Eye down in a small crew. Dave’s been skirting the behemoth for months. It’s not an easy hunt but if they leave a lot of daylight it should be fine.

“Sounds great,” Gladio grins.

“Let’s finish this and then I’ll put our claim down for the bounty with the tipster,” Ignis suggests.

“You guys have weapons with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Ignis nods. “And you?”

“I might sharpen my sword. It got bashed last night.” Noct decides. “Come round the back and knock on the house door when you’re ready. We’ll go then.”

“Great,” Gladio chews.

“Prom,” Noct tugs his best friend, “ _Prom._ ”

“Huh? Oh!” Prompto stumbles up. “Later guys!”

Prompto waves them off and Noct hurries them back into the house. He does take his sword and daggers out. He does sharpen them but there’s a knot in his stomach while Prompto fusses.

“Dude, they totally like you.” Prompto declares. “You have all the luck!”

“They’re kind of weird,” Noct frowns. “Like they… I don’t know yet, they’re weird.”

“Bad weird?” Prompto pauses to tilt his head.

“No, I don’t….” Noct sighs. “I’m not sure? I don’t think so?”

“Should you go out into the woods with them then?” Prompto hesitates.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Noct assures. “I know these woods like your freckles. It’ll be fine. What’re they going to do? Rob me? I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

“Still…” Prompto wavers. “Call me?”

“Yeah, course Prom,” Noct promises. “If I don’t check in with you send out the search parties.”

* * *

Noct heads out into the woods with Ignis and Gladio around nine am. They have a lot of daylight to burn so he’s not concerned as they start to track the behemoth into the mountains. Gladio and Ignis definitely seem to know what they’re doing, they’re suitably armed, and Noct doesn’t notice anything suspicious in their first few hours of trekking further and further into the wilderness. They’re quiet, sure, but its not a bad quiet. They cross a river using a couple of well places stones and when Gladio and Ignis are across Ignis actually turns back to help Noct make it across the last few feet safely. It’s… maybe Noct’s paranoid?

Things get misty as they get higher up the mountain. They enter an old tunnel of corrugated roofing someone left abandoned and while they’re in the half ruined structure Gladio grabs Noct and shoves him down low into he grass.

“Wha--?” Noct prepares himself for a fight.

“Shh,” Gladio whispers, crouching low with him and gesturing up.

Noct hears Dead Eye before he sees him. Heavy footsteps, fleeing birds, growling, huffing, and then, under Gladio’s arm, he peeks up to spy the scarred face of the beast through a hole in the tunnel roof.

They wait till Dead Eye moves back, further into the mountains, and then Gladio eases them back up into a crouch and beckons for them to continue.

“He must be going back to his den,” Ignis decides. “We should follow him there.”

“He’s blind on the right side, did you see?” Gladio murmurs.

“Yeah, better for us,” Noct agrees as they continue to hike.

They have to follow the beast pretty close in the mist. They don’t want to lose sight of it but likewise if they get too close it’ll hear them. It’s tense going but eventually they reach an abandoned temple like ruin overlooking a deep valley where Dead Eye seems to have set up camp.

“Ready?” Ignis supposes.

“As much as I’ll ever be,” Noct shrugs.

“We have potions,” Ignis assures. “Call out if you need and please stay close.”

“Right,” Noct nods.

Gladio unsheathes his big fuck-off sword and they slide into the ravine.

Ignis and Gladio have obviously been fighting together a long time and that helps but they’re very aware of Noct too. They don’t leave him to wither. There’s a synergy, a mutual watching out for each other, and Noct appreciates that kind of teamwork going up against a behemoth. Dead Eye is a stubborn old asshole, doesn’t want to die, but eventually Gladio gets under him and rips his guts out and it seems to be the final nail in the coffin.

They stand, sweaty and panting, over the corpse as the sun creeps back down.

Ignis takes a tooth for proof to give the tipster, stowing it, and Gladio wipes the sweat off his brow.

“Do you think we’ll make it back to the outpost before the sun sets?” Gladio asks.

“No, no way,” Noct shakes his head. “But there’s a campground a little ways back. We’ll be okay.”

“I’ll take some meat then,” Ignis pulls his daggers back out. “I hear charred behemoth is delicious.”

“You got more water Iggy?”

“About half my canister,” Ignis calls.

“Good, I got a little more too,” Gladio slouches. “Noct?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Noct promises.

Ignis takes the cuts of meat and they head back into the forest.

In another half hour, just as it really starts to get dark, they collapse at the haven by the runes. Ignis takes some sticks and starts roasting their meat and Noct is wondering if maybe he misjudged these guys?

Noct pulls his knees to his chest and Gladio tosses him his jacket.

“I’m fine,” Noct assures, inspecting the crest imprinted into the leather.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gladio insists, slumping into a sitting position not too far away.

Noct shrugs and pulls the jacket around his shoulders. It’s still warm from Gladio, soft from years of abuse, and it smells fucking glorious. Gladio and Ignis are both older than Noct. Maybe it’s a instinctual big brother kind of thing. Noct’s known guys like that. Guys who just look out for the younger guys because they’re small and scrappy.

“Here,” Ignis hands him a charred chunk of behemoth. “Not my finest culinary feat but it’ll fill you up.”

“Thanks, sure it’s great,” Noct promises.

“Better than starving at any rate,” Gladio snorts as Ignis hands him his own skewer.

They eat for a moment. Behemoth is lean, kind of chewy honestly, but food is food.

“Noct,” Ignis begins, “it occurs to me that Gladio and I haven’t said much about ourselves.”

“Mysterious guys,” Noct snorts, “going to fill me in?”

“Well…” Ignis glances to Gladio. “We were displaced in the fall of Insomnia too. We were nine and ten at the time.”

“You weren’t orphaned or lost, I hope?” Noct supposes.

“No, our families all made it out alright, they were well qualified for a crisis.” Ignis explains. “We were nobles before the fall. Doesn’t mean much now but Gladio’s father was Shield to the King, headed the Crownsguard. My Uncle was Hand to the King.”

“Sorry,” Noct chews, “I don’t know much about how things were before the fall. Sounds like they were important though. That’s pretty rough. What they do when the King died?”

“Well the Crownsguard and remnants of the Kingsglaive have been rallying for the past decade. We’re hoping to restore Insomnia. Our families are quite determined.”

“Huh….” Noct digests. “I mean… don’t you need a royal to even open the gates? Thought they all died in the fall.”

“The King did,” Ignis nods, “but the Prince escaped.”

“In hiding then?”

“Sort of,” Ignis sighs. “He was being escorted but something went wrong and we lost track of him. He’s been missing ever since.”

“That’s rough,” Noct isn’t sure where this is going so he nods along diligently. “Good luck finding him after all this time though, would take one crazy fucking search party, that’s for sure.”

“Gladio and I have been looking for almost two years without much success, I confess,” Ignis sighs, picking meat off his skewer.

“Why are you guys looking for him? Couldn’t they spare anyone else?”

“We knew him the best,” Gladio grunts. “We were his playmates turned babysitters basically.”

“I remember him clear as day,” Ignis insists firmly. “He was only small but… Anyway you mentioned you don’t know much about before the fall?”

“Not much at all,” Noct nods.

“Well the King was called Regis Lucis Caelum,” Ignis explains, mouth moving easily over the familiar syllables Noct isn’t sure he could get out. “The Prince was called Noctis Lucis Caelum. He was three.”

Noct chews very, very, slowly.

His eyes move carefully between Gladio and Ignis who are both watching him.

“Right…” Noct drawls over the word. “So, um, it’s getting late gentlemen. We should probably—”

“You have his face,” Ignis insists. “I was starting to wonder if I’d recognise you after so long but you—”

“Yeah, right,” Noct dismisses awkwardly, this is getting super fucking crazy. Are these guys aware they sound crazy? Is this some elaborate scheme to like rob him or something? Noct is so uncomfortable right now. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. I should call Prompto anyway. _So_ …”

He eases out of Gladio’s jacket as he stands, tossing it back to the large man, before whipping out his phone and heading down the slope of the haven quickly.

Both men obviously want to stop him, to follow him, but Noct catches sight of Gladio urging Ignis to stay still in his seat.

Noctis does move to the tree line to take a piss and then, lingering there a moment, whips out his phone.

It’s only about eight so Prompto is still awake.

“How’s it going?” Prompto greets. “If you’re going to score tonight Noct don’t even talk to me I will be so mad at you I can’t even—”

“No, dude,” Noct laughs, “these guys are absolutely _insane_. Don’t ever let me go hunting with strangers again.”

“What kind of crazy are we talking?” Prompto asks, perking with curiosity.

“Like conspiracy theory nutjobs,” Noct snorts, glancing carefully back the haven. “I’m kind of sorry I’m stuck here for the night.”

“Are you safe?”

“I think so…?” Noct supposes but he feels less sure than this morning. “If anything happens I’ll call you.”

“Be careful,” Prompto repeats. “I’ll keep my phone close.”

“Thanks, night,” Noct whispers, hanging up.

At the haven Noct hopes the guys will have given up on this ultra weird tangent but he can feel their stares as he sits down.

“Noct—” Gladio starts.

“I’m really not comfortable—” Noct starts to argue back but Ignis thrusts something at him.

“Please,” Ignis strains, “just… _please_.”

Noct glances down.

It’s a photo.

Frowning but unsettled by the intensity of Ignis’ desperation Noct takes the photo gingerly.

The couches, the wallpaper, it’s all very lush but the photo is old and well-loved by way of contrast. Noct recognises the tiny Gladio and Ignis immediately. Ignis still has his glasses, Gladio is scruffy and trying to look tall but Ignis, who is much more sombre, somehow automatically looks more regal. Noct’s not sure why anyone took the photo, it doesn’t look like a special occasion and Ignis and Gladio are demonstrating varying degrees of compliance, but…

Between Ignis and Gladio there’s what Noct assumes is the Prince. He’s tiny and wide eyed, holding Ignis’ hand in one set of tiny fingers and Gladio’s in the other and honestly Noct can’t tell which one he’s clinging to tighter. Kid is wide eyed, pale, and… and the resemblance between him and Noct is honestly somewhere along the borderline of eerie and downright frightening. Noct has seen photos of himself as a tyke. Prompto’s mum loved her camera almost as much as Prompto loves his and they were her favourite subjects. He bears a resemblance to this toddler but his baby photos back home at the outpost? They could be _twins_.

Noct isn’t sure what to say.

Noct isn’t sure what to think.

“Um…” Noct fights for words. “What did you say his name was again?”

“Noctis,” Ignis repeats reverently.

“I…” Noct fumbles. “I couldn’t actually be…”

“Why not?” Gladio challenges calmly.

“That sounds crazy.” Noct shakes his head but he can’t look away from the photo.

“Maybe,” Gladio shrugs. “You don’t remember _anything?_ ”

“Um…” Noct closes his eyes and strains. He’s always tried to remember something. A smell, a sound, anything. “I remember… um… I think it was my dad’s cologne, um, this stupid stuffed toy I just remember aching for—”

“With big white ears?” Ignis lurches forward. “Yes?”

“Yeah!” Noct startles, eyes blinking open. “And a long tail? And this real stupid red button in the forehead and—”

“It was called Carbuncle,” Ignis answers. “I couldn’t get it off you.”

“Ugliest fucking thing.” Gladio laughs weakly.

“It—” Noct laughs, mind spinning. “Yeah, _Carbuncle_. That was it. I-I remember that…”

They sit for a moment, Ignis and Gladio tense and keen, and Noct lets his head spin a moment longer.

“But I couldn’t—” Noct shakes his head.

“Look,” Gladio raises his hands calculatingly between Noct and Ignis who both look about to burst, “maybe you’re not the Prince. Maybe we’re lying about that part or whatever you want to think right now. But prince or not you gotta admit, whatever’s going on, we’re your family. How else would Iggy know that? Why else would we have a photo of you?”

Noct slumps his shoulders, hand trembling.

“I… yeah…” Noct murmurs dumbstruck. “I can’t argue with that.”

“Come back to Caem with us,” Gladio offers. “We’ve got more photos, more things, more people. Things you might remember. At the very least you’ve got to want to know where you came from, right?”

“I…” Noct cradles the photo in his lap. He’s confused, he’s in shock, but honestly he’s always, always, wanted to know. He always assumed his whole family was in that car, that whoever his mum and dad were they were dead, but he always kind of secretly hoped one day someone would come looking for him. It seemed impossible but— “O-okay. Yes. Sure.”

Noct might never get another chance like this.

Ignis and Gladio exchange a glance, relieved, delighted, and Ignis snaps back around to him.

“May I hug you?” He asks.

Noct blinks dumbly, laughing. “Um- yeah! Sure!’

Ignis hands the photo to Gladio who tucks it in his beast pocket fondly and Ignis all but tackles Noct. Noct expects one of those awkward guy hugs, around the shoulders, but, nope, Ignis hauls him into his cross-legged lap and bundles him up with both arms. Ignis hugs him so tight Noct knows no sane person could fake that kind of elation and relief.

“We thought you were dead,” Ignis wheezes, “I didn’t even know if I would recognise you. I always insisted I would but…” Ignis takes a deep breath and Noct tries to hug him back to reassure him its all okay. “Thank the Six,” Ignis whispers, sounds almost upset.

Noct is snuggly as general rule, lucky for Ignis, so he nestles down and lets the older man press him like a dried flower. Ignis doesn’t seem to want to let go any time in the next twenty-six years but Noct kind of likes it. He always hoped his family were looking for him, that they missed him, and Ignis obviously missed Noct with his whole heart.

After a long, quiet, moment Gladio clears his throat with a gentle patience.

“Give him some air, Iggy.” He urges.

Ignis sighs, squeezing Noct, but eases off him slowly taking a moment to straighten his hair. Noct laughs, lets it happen, and sits there in Ignis’ lap without protest. Ignis isn’t crushing him anymore, hand settling on the small of Noct’s back, but he seems relieved Noct doesn’t want to escape any further.

* * *

In the morning Noct wakes covered in Gladio’s jacket yet again. He laughs to himself, nestling down against the plateau and his curled arm. It’s not the most comfortable position in the world but Noct could sleep anywhere. Near his head Gladio, who is sitting up, pats his shoulder.

“You sound like you’re waking up,” he supposes as the sun rises around them.

“Hmm, yeah.” Noct greets. “You sleep okay big guy?”

“Better than I have in ages,” Gladio admits, ruffling his hair. The gesture is somewhere between tentative and achingly fond. Gladio seems to want to get close but, unlike Ignis, he’s a little more reluctant to ask outright.

Noct just lets the bigger man touch him, however hesitantly.

“We’ll head back in a minute,” Gladio promises, “Iggy’s just taking care of himself.”

“Okay,” Noct snuggles back down, stealing another moment or two of warmth. “I have no idea what I’m going to tell Prompto or Gramps…”

“Be honest,” Gladio suggests. “They’ll understand that.”

The trek back to the outpost is warm and uneventful. When the reach the chocobos and saunter out of the woods into the valley near the caravan Noct spots Prompto immediately. It’s about nine or ten in the morning, starting to get busier, but Prompto’s going to want an explanation.

“Iggy,” Noct turns, “can I borrow that photo for a few?”

“Of course,” Ignis pulls it free to place in his hands. “We’re just going to pack up the caravan. Come get us if you need us.”

Noct nods and tucking the photo away trots across the grass to where Prompto is serving some tourists. Prompto puts down their food and starts walking back to the side of the main farmhouse and Noct follows. When they’re out of view of everyone Prompto turns back to him and Noct announces;

“You are never going to believe what happened to me last night.”

“You’re okay? They didn’t try anything, did they?” Prompto frets patting him down absently.

“Nah, I figured out why they were acting so weird.” Noct explains, drawing out the photo and handing it to Prompto.

Prompto takes the photo, turns it up the right way and—

“ _Dude!_ ”

“They’re my cousins or something,” Noct laughs. “Apparently I’ve got a whole extended family in Caem who’ve been looking for me.”

“ _Holy_ —That’s amazing!” Prompto laughs, mystified and awed. “That’s fantastic Noct!”

Noct nods.

“No wonder they were acting weird,” Prompto snorts. “What’s Noct short for? Did they tell you?”

“Noctis,” he replies.

“That’s nice!” Prompto preens, bouncing on his heels as he glances back at the photo. “What’re you going to do?”

“They want me to come with them to Caem, meet the rest of the family,” Noct admits. “I think I will but I’m kind of nervous.”

“Totally makes sense,” Prompto nods, “but if these guys are your family you should go and meet them. Maybe they’ll be able to fill in the blanks?”

“Yeah…” Noct hums, thinking. “Hey, Prom, you wanna come with?”

“I-Is that allowed?” Prompto laughs. “I mean if it’s a family thing—”

“You’re my family too,” Noct counters, “and I’d feel safe with you and they probably want to thank you for looking after me all these years, right?”

“I don’t know, Noct…”

“Road trip,” Noct sings, “handsome guys, good food…”

“No, no, I couldn’t—”

“ _Photo ops_ …”

“Fuck,” Prompto whispers, “my one true weakness.”

“You coming?” Noct supposes, offering his hand.

“I… yeah,” Prompto relents. “Roadtrip?”

“Roadtrip,” Noct grins.


End file.
